BBC chair apologises for ‘error of judgement’ in Panorama edit of Donald Trump speech

BBC Chair Samir Shah has issued a formal apology after acknowledging that a Panorama documentary edited a speech by former US President Donald Trump in a way that “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.” The controversy has grown following the publication of an internal memo criticising BBC’s 2024 US election coverage and the programme’s handling of the footage.

What prompted BBC's apology?

The issue came to light after The Daily Telegraph released a memo written by former adviser Michael Prescott, which alleged that the Panorama programme edited two separate parts of Trump’s speech together, creating the impression that Donald Trump was directly urging supporters toward the Capitol during the 6 January 2021 riots.

Samir Shah, in a letter to the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, acknowledged the concerns and the BBC’s response to them.

The edit, Samir Shah wrote as quoted by BBC, “was to convey the message of the speech made by President Trump so that Panorama's audience could better understand how it had been received by President Trump's supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time.”

However, Samir Shah added that the issue had been discussed internally as part of a broader review into US election coverage, rather than being treated as a formal editorial complaint at the time, because “it had not attracted significant audience feedback and had been transmitted before the US election, so the point wasn't pursued further at that time", BBC reported.

Has the BBC admitted the edit was misleading?

Samir Shah confirmed that the BBC has now accepted that the edit altered the perceived meaning of Donald Trump’s words.

“The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement.”

The BBC Chair said more than 500 complaints have been received since Prescott’s memo became public, and they are currently being processed through standard procedures.

According to BBC's live coverage, Samir Shah added: “With hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action.”

How did BBC leadership respond?

The fallout has been swift. BBC director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday night.

Speaking outside Broadcasting House, Turness rejected accusations of political bias:

“I'd like to make one thing very clear - BBC News is not institutionally biased.”

The memo that triggered the resignations not only highlighted the Trump edit but criticised broader editorial standards, with Prescott writing that he acted “in despair at inaction by the BBC Executive.”

Who is BBC Chair Samir Shah?

Samir Shah became BBC Chair on 4 March 2024 on a four-year appointment made by the UK government. He has worked in broadcasting for over four decades, previously serving as head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC, and running the independent production company Juniper.

As BBC Chair, Shah is responsible for safeguarding the BBC’s editorial independence, ensuring compliance with its public mission, and overseeing board governance.

He is paid £160,000 per year for a role requiring at least three days per week.